Health Care Reform continues to be a highly debated topic. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll stated that 47% of their respondents still oppose the law, while just 36 % approve. At this point the biggest issue is the confusing mix of messages that are found in the media, on the internet, discussed at the water coolers, and shared among all Americans.

Compare a colonoscopy procedure from one provider to another and you probably won’t find much difference. Compare the costs between several different providers and the differences will surprise you!

According to a June 1, 2013 article in the NY Times, a comparison of colonoscopy charges revealed that the costs varied

As Health Care Reform is implemented, the debate continues on two fronts: (1) is the law truly going to impact costs and (2) how will the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured impact provider access? While these two topics have dominated the discussion, there has been little discussion on how health literacy will impact both.

On Thursday the Internal Revenue Service issued Revenue Procedure 2013-25, heralding changes to health savings account contributions for individuals and families for 2014. As well as this, employee out-of-pocket expenses are also set to change. These changes are to reflect the changes in the cost of living.

No one ever thought the implementation of Health Care Reform would be easy. Even fervent supporters of the law admit that things are going worse than expected.

The Obama administration recently released a proposed rule outlining the standards for "navigators” who will help consumers shop for health insurance in new exchanges set up by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Navigators are organizations that will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new health exchanges, qualified health plans, and public programs including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Health Care Reform will change the way employers make business decisions now and into the future. Employers can no longer guess at what mandate will affect their business or what changes need to be made and when. That makes NOW the time to work with a consultant that can provide the analysis necessary to make the best decisions.

John Torinus sure thinks so. He’s the current Chairman and former CEO of Serigraph, a one thousand employee custom graphics manufacturer in West Bend, Wisconsin. In 2004, John began a successful mission to drive down the cost of health care at Serigraph – for his employees and the company – and even wrote a book about it named The Company That Solved Health Care. I’ve become a big fan.

If you run a company or are charged in some way with managing the health insurance plans, this book is for you. Serigraph has kept its costs virtually flat over the last ten years by following several key principles.

Only twenty-four states have been approved to set up their own health insurance exchanges leaving the federal government to run the other 26. We don’t know yet what they will look like but we do know there will an overwhelming range of choices for millions of people who have never had to choose their own health insurance before.

Most Americans are covered by employer-sponsored insurance or by government-provided insurance such as Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Only a small percentage buys their own individual private coverage. The Congressional Budget Office projects that 26 million people will buy health insurance on the exchanges by 2022.

This month marks the third anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act becoming law.

Consumers have gained access to many new benefits under the law including free preventive services, new rights to appeal insurers' decisions, drug discounts for seniors on Medicare, and tax credits for small businesses.

Yet the biggest